TAROT CARD GUIDE

Seven of Swords Tarot Card Meaning & Interpretations

← Suit of Swords

Seven of Swords Card from the Rider Waite Smith Deck

Introduction

The thief card. Tarot imagery for this card is, in general, one of an act of theft. In the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) deck a man tip toes away to the left while looking over his shoulder to the right. He's stolen 5 swords leaving only 2 behind, but why didn't he take them all?

The numerology in this imagery is very important and of note. The 7 of Swords is related to the 5 of Swords. In the 5 of Swords our character has achieved his goal through force and direct confrontation. Here in the 7 of Swords the character has used stealth and cunning to achieve the same ends. The remaining 2 swords, that he has turned his back on, represent diplomacy and negotiation. He could have asked for the swords, and been honest about his intentions, but he has chosen to turn his back on that option. These two swords also serve as a link to Judgement and Justice in the Major Arcana. Both cards have numerological values of 2 and this symbolic connection may carry a warning of the consequences of his actions.

Is he smarter than the character in the 5 of Swords? He's avoided the bad publicity of the 5 of Swords open conflict. He would probably argue that his actions hurt no one, he's kept face and not lost friends.

Sometimes it's important to take note of the direction a character is facing when looking at symbolic imagery. In the RWS Deck this character is heading left but looking right. In the 5 of Swords our character looks left. The left represents the past and the right, the future. Our thief is looking to the future but he's heading backwards. He thinks he's being clever but his actions will set him back.

The 7 of Swords is a card of theft, greed, deceit and avoiding confrontation. The element here is Air which relates to challenges, conflicts and the mental aspects of our lives. In Numerology the negative aspects of the number 7 are malice, theft, cheating, craftiness, confusion and deceitfulness. The positive aspects of 7 are rest, introspection, thoughtfulness and planning.

7 of Swords in a Tarot Reading

The 7 of Swords concerns gaining an advantage through concealment instead of open negotiation. The figure takes five swords while leaving two behind, linking the card with the forceful acquisition of the 5 and the diplomatic option represented by the 2.

The method is quieter, but the underlying question remains: what is being taken or achieved, and what has been avoided to obtain it? Escaping immediate confrontation does not make the action harmless or ultimately successful.

Upright Meaning

Upright, the 7 of Swords can indicate withheld intentions, an evasive approach or an attempt to secure a result without giving others a fair opportunity to respond. The apparent cleverness may lie in avoiding the conversation that an honest agreement would require.

The figure looks towards the future while moving in the opposite direction. This suggests a strategy whose immediate advantage can undermine its longer-term purpose. Trust, cooperation or reputation may matter to the outcome even when the person focuses only on what can be obtained now.

The card can invite scrutiny of your own approach as well as another person's. It does not establish that theft or deception has occurred. Look for concrete inconsistencies and ask whether a straightforward request or negotiation is being bypassed for a reason that deserves examination.

Upright keywords: concealment, evasion, covert advantage, dishonesty, avoided negotiation, hidden intentions, short-term cunning, compromised trust.

Reversed Meaning

Reversed, the 7 of Swords may indicate concealed information becoming visible or a person deciding to abandon an evasive approach. An honest explanation can become necessary when the indirect method no longer works. Repair then depends on what is acknowledged and changed.

Alternatively, avoidance may become more elaborate. More effort can go into preserving the account than into solving the original problem. The reversal can also describe persistent suspicion when the available evidence remains incomplete.

Context helps distinguish disclosure, continued concealment and fear of being misled. Check what can actually be established. The useful response is greater clarity and accountability, not treating the card as permission to accuse someone without evidence.

Reversed keywords: disclosure, exposed inconsistency, honest reconsideration, elaborate avoidance, accountability, suspicion, abandoned deception.

Love and Relationships

In relationships, the 7 of Swords can describe avoiding a conversation about intentions, commitments or behaviour. A person may want the benefit of the connection without allowing the other person to understand the full position. Silence can become a way of directing the outcome.

The card alone is not proof of infidelity. Reversed, a concealed matter may be discussed, or evasiveness may continue. Ask direct, proportionate questions about observable discrepancies. A relationship needs enough honesty for both people to choose their participation with an accurate understanding of it.

Work and Career

At work, this card can concern credit taken quietly, information withheld or a strategy designed to avoid proper discussion. A person may regard the method as efficient because it sidesteps disagreement, while overlooking the cooperation lost when others discover what happened.

Reversed, an irregularity may need explaining or the team may choose a more transparent process. Keep the focus on verifiable actions and responsibilities. An indirect working style is not automatically dishonest, but bypassing an agreement can still create consequences that need addressing.

Money and Finances

For finances, the 7 of Swords can prompt attention to unclear terms, unexplained discrepancies or an arrangement whose full purpose is not being stated. It may also concern your own temptation to avoid a difficult money conversation through omission.

Reversed, a missing detail may emerge or an evasive arrangement may become harder to sustain. Review actual records and ask for clarification before reaching a conclusion. The card symbolises a concern about honesty; it cannot establish that a particular person or transaction is fraudulent.

Advice from the 7 of Swords

Examine the negotiation being avoided. If you are tempted by an indirect advantage, include its effect on trust in your assessment of the cost. If another person's account is unclear, seek the information needed for an informed decision without replacing uncertainty with accusation.

Ask yourself: What open conversation is being avoided, and what might that avoidance cost later?

The 7 of Swords questions a clever escape that gains something now while quietly weakening the future it was meant to secure.

7 of Swords According to A. E. Waite

The Pictorial Key to the Tarot
Arthur Edward Waite (1911)

A man in the act of carrying away five swords rapidly; the two others of the card remain stuck in the ground. A camp is close at hand. Divinatory Meanings: Design, attempt, wish, hope, confidence; also quarrelling, a plan that may fail, annoyance. The design is uncertain in its import, because the significations are widely at variance with each other. Reversed: Good advice, counsel, instruction, slander, babbling.